News

April 22, 2010

Marshall Man Claims Missouri's Largest Jackpot: $258.5 Million

A Marshall man came forward today to claim the largest jackpot ever in the Missouri Lottery’s 24-year history – a Powerball jackpot worth $258.5 million. Christopher “Chris” Shaw, 29, said he hardly ever buys Lottery tickets, but he decided to buy a couple after he completed his shift at Break Time, 1000 W. College St. in Marshall, around 7 p.m. April 21.

“I thought somebody is going to win; there are too many people buying tickets,” said Shaw, who has been a cashier at the Break Time for the past month. He previously worked as a semi-truck driver, but decided to take a pay cut to “come home and be with family.”

After work, Shaw purchased a soda, cigarettes and $5 worth of Powerball plays using Quick Pick. The very last combination on his ticket – 11, 34, 41, 49, 55 and Powerball 20 – was the winner.

Shaw said a friend sent him a text this morning, saying that the winning ticket was bought at the Break Time where he bought his ticket. So he retrieved his ticket from his wallet, checked it on the Lottery’s Web site and discovered he held the winner.

“Holy smokes!” he recalled. “I’ve got it! I won!”

Next, Shaw headed to Break Time to check his ticket. When he arrived, he saw his boss outside putting up a sign announcing the store sold the winning ticket.

“I was like, ‘I need to check my ticket,’ and she was like, ‘Well, you know, take it inside.’

And I was like, ‘This is the one! I am pretty sure that I won the Powerball. I just need to know the numbers,’” Shaw said. “She was like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’”

Shaw says he is a “day-by-day type of person,” so his thoughts about what he will do with the money are simple.

“I’ll take care of debts,” he said. “I need to get all of that squared away first.”

Shaw mentioned that in his previous job as a truck driver, he was able to travel to most states, but not Florida. He said he may now take him, his friend, Tosha Ewry, and her two boys to Walt Disney World® in Florida. He also plans to buy a new pick-up truck and maybe a “hot rod.”

“I’ve never had a new car,” he explained.

Shaw added that he likes to fish, and he recalled telling Ewry on the way to Jefferson City that, “I feel a boat comin’ on.”

In addition to Shaw’s win, Break Time will receive a bonus check for $50,000 for selling the winning Powerball ticket.

Shaw holds the 26th Powerball jackpot ticket sold in Missouri, and he is the 297th Missouri Lottery-made millionaire overall. To date, the Missouri Lottery has awarded the second-most Powerball jackpots, totaling more than $1.5 billion, of all 44 Powerball members.

Note: As seen in this YouTube video, Lottery staff on hand to gather footage of the store that sold the winning ticket caught the very moment Shaw showed up thinking he had it.